Washington Redskins 2012 Schedule: Late Division Games Will Make or Break Team

Last season, the Washington Redskins finished dead-last in the NFC East.

This season, if they acquire a certain Heisman Trophy winner with the second overall pick in the draft, things could drastically change. However, it will still come down to winning those all-important games against the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

As such, a three-game, late-season stretch against all three of them will make or break the 2012 season for the Redskins.

Following their bye in Week 10, the Redskins jump right back into things with a three-game stretch against their division opponents in Weeks 11, 12 and 13 (November 18 through December 3). It will be the most crucial stretch of the season, as the Redskins—if they're in the hunt for the playoffs at all—will need to win in order to solidify their postseason positioning.

If they're in the midst of a battle for supremacy in the NFC East, losing one of those games—or any of them—could be the difference between getting back to the postseason and going home at the end of December as they have every year since 2007.

Looking at what happened to the Redskins after their bye week last year doesn't offer any good signs about what could happen this year.

In 2011, after starting the season 3-1, the Redskins were off for Week 5. Upon returning, the team lost six straight games to unofficially eliminate themselves from contention in the division. 

Washington finished 5-11 last year and didn't experience any success against any of their division opponents except, incidentally, the Super Bowl champion Giants. Washington swept New York, but lost four games to Philadelphia and Dallas. The second loss to the Cowboys was a heartbreaking 27-24 overtime loss that, instead of snapping a five-game losing streak, extended it.

Obviously, the Redskins need to do more than just beat their divisional opponents to give themselves a shot at the playoffs in 2012. They need to avoid the kind of lengthy losing streaks that killed them in 2011, and that dangerous late-season stretch has the potential to be a colossal skid.

Losing those games will land the Redskins exactly where they were at the end of last season. Winning them, however, will indicate that the franchise is finally on the upswing.